1 Every ecosystem carries out the basic processes of:
energy flow and matter cycling
photosynthesis and nitrification
solar energy capture and re-radiation
evaporation and precipitation
2 The biological role played by a species in its environment is called a:
ecosystem
habitat
niche
population
3 Predators rarely kill and eat all available prey because:
predator and prey species often occupy the same trophic level in an ecosystem
prey species often lack protective mechanisms to deter being eaten
many predator and prey species have a commensalistic relationship
predator species often will switch its prey as one prey species becomes less abundant
4 _____ is an overabundance of nutrients that leads to excessive plant growth and
reduction of oxygen in an ecosystem.
denitrification
eutrophication
nitrification
phosphorylation
5 Which of these biomes receives the greatest amount of yearly rainfall?
boreal forest
grasslands
temperate forests
tropical forests
6 An organism's position within a food web is known as its:
ecosystem
habitat
niche
trophic level
7 Which of the following describes organisms in a pelagic zone?
plankton floating near the ocean surface
bottom-dwellers on the ocean floor
barnacles glued to stone in an intertidal zone
frogs in a pond close to the pond's edge
8 Which of the following is NOT an example of secondary succession?
farmland is abandoned
a forest is clear cut
a lava flow covers the landscape
a wildfire burns away the vegetation on a hillside
9 In a lake, the epilimnion is the:
environment found close to shore in a lake
environment found at the lake bed
lower, colder layer
upper surface layer
